Today Vinci shareholders gathered in Paris for their annual assembly – where they were greeted with a message to stop the destruction of Khimki Forest delivered by Evgenia Chirikova, leader of the Movement to Defend Khimki Forest, and a flashmob of her fellow activists.

The decision to build a highway through the Khimki Forest has effectively violated the most important conservation provision in Russia. According to Russian law, forest in a protection category can only be cut down if there is no possible alternative location for the object being built. In this case there is not just one alternative location – but 11 alternative construction options for the highway. Judicial proceedings have failed to identify the chosen construction plan as illegal, despite the clear violation.

The Khimki Forest story goes far beyond the destruction of protected forest. It contains a vicious cocktail of scandal, as defending the commercial interests linked to the highway project has resulted in horrendous acts against activists. Last summer huge protests in Moscow caused Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to halt construction, but the powerful interests involved in the project managed to get the highway back on track.

It is not too late to stop the destruction, and not too late to demand an end to the violations of civil and human rights. You can stand together with the Russian activists who are putting their lives and freedom at risk by adding your name to this petition backed by a coalition of NGOs. The petition asks Vinci to end its involvement in the project until an alternative route is chosen - one that doesn't involve further destruction in Khimki Forest.

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(Unregistered) Grizzly Oso
says:

I have an AA 2yr degree in Forest mgt and really hated tree hugging sandel wearing and grannola eat kind of people. After working for the US Forest Se...

I have an AA 2yr degree in Forest mgt and really hated tree hugging sandel wearing and grannola eat kind of people. After working for the US Forest Service. I learned what really happens! And how cut throat they were and the things we saw that we could talk about, and yes the things we did to get a good. Clear cutting seeing but not seeing rare animal lose more of there habitat. If you hugg trees I with you. Don't want to teel my grandkids what it use to look like. I want it to be there when my Grandkids have grandkids. I learn morals by doing emmoral things just so I got paidcheck. Life is short but a forest can live almost forever.

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(Unregistered) SkiSphinx
says:

Its sadly amazing, how much destruction to our planet humans have caused since, the industrial revolution!! Especially, when compared to the amount of...

Its sadly amazing, how much destruction to our planet humans have caused since, the industrial revolution!! Especially, when compared to the amount of our history that was spent living in harmony w/ nature's perfect plan...This is just yet another example of GREED, INDIFFERENCE, and a COMPLETE LACK of COMMON SENSE can do when, left unchecked

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(Unregistered) Wappa
says:

It is a scandal to see how the UN does nothing, this is clearly a violation of human rights and a law in russia. The UN is just sitting and doing noth...

It is a scandal to see how the UN does nothing, this is clearly a violation of human rights and a law in russia. The UN is just sitting and doing nothing to keep friendly relation with russia, if your not acting like you promise then stop promising! UN you are hypocryts.